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James II Casimir
|birth_place = Kraków, Polish–Lithuanian Empire |death_date = |death_place = Lwów, Polish–Lithuanian Empire |spouse = Princess Marie of Hohenzollern |issue = Prince James Casimir of Poland and Belgium Henriette, Duchess of Vendôme Princess Joséphine Marie Josephine Caroline, Princess of Hohenzollern Albert I of Belgium |house = Saxe-Coburg |father = Stanislaus III Albert |mother = Princess Charlotte of Wales |religion = Roman Catholicism }} James II Casimir ( , , Livonian: Džeimss Kazimirs; 11 July 1832 – 5 July 1892) was Emperor of the Polish Empire from September 1878 to his death. Also referred to as the "romanticist on the throne", he is best remembered in Poland and Livonia-of course his last ruler in Livonia. His empire went to the Franco-Prussian War with Napoleon III, which he was involved in Mars-la-Tour. After returned from the war, he went ill and moved to Lwów where he died seven days before his 61st birthday. Early life Born to Stanislaus III Albert and Princess Charlotte of Wales as second oldest son out of 8th children.Mail pg.54 James Casimir was educated by private tutors, many of whom were experienced civil servants, such as Alexander Peter. He also gained military experience by serving in the Polish army during the Lithuanian-Polish Civil Rights Movement. He was a draftsman interested in both architecture and landscape gardening and was a patron of several great German artists, including architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel and composer Felix Mendelssohn. In 1840 he married Mathilde Bonaparte, daughter to Jérôme Bonaparte, former King of Westphalia. Since she was a Bonapartist, the preparations for this marriage included difficult negotiations which ended with her conversion to Roman Catholic. There were two wedding ceremonies—one in Lviv, and another in Warsaw. The couple had a very harmonious marriage, but luckly had only son, Charles Frederick (future King Charles II of Poland).King, pg. 651 James Casimir was a staunch Romanticist, and his devotion to this movement, which in the Polish empire, featured nostalgia for the Middle Ages, was largely responsible for his developing into a conservative at an early age. During the 1847 election, his brother John Joseph was elected King of Poland, the crown prince exerted his influence to structure the proposed new constitution of 1846, which was never actually enacted and the constitution was failed. In such a way that the landed aristocracy would hold the greatest power. He was firmly against the liberalization of Lithuania and only aspired to unify its many states within what he viewed as a historically legitimate framework, inspired by the ancient laws and customs of the recently dissolved Holy Roman Empire. James Casimir opposed the idea of a unified German state, believing that Austria was divinely ordained to rule over Poland-Lithuania, and contented himself with the title of "Grand General of the Realm". Reign King of Livonia He become King of Livonia a few months of March 1858, as if his brother given the kingdom of Livonia to James Casimir. But his popularity Livonia was decline during the his reign in Livonia. He was coronation as King on 1 January 1859. In 1861, there's was an civil war in Livonia, trying to removed James Casimir as monarch and wanted a republic, but failed with the help of his brother's forces. Livonia was one of the poorest country in Europe, which supported by his brother who was King of Poland at the time, but his popularity not even increasing but decreasing the years, but in 1865, an Livonian Presents' Revolt broke out between presents and the monarch. On 20 November 1866, James Casimir abdicated the crown of Livonia, with no heirs. The monarchy abolished with the Russia Tsar Alexander II of Russia accepted the offer of the crown but turned it the Russia Empire. 1878 Election His brother August IV Joseph died without issue on 8 September in Lodz. The election sejm of 1878 eventually concluded in the election of James Casimir; he had no serious other contenders. The decision on who would be the Empire's next king was reached on 3 November, but as the pacta conventa were not yet ready, the official announcement was delayed until 11 November. In the pacta conventa, James Casimir pledged himself to fund a military school and equipment; to find a way to fund a naval fleet; to maintain current alliances; not to raise armies, give offices or military ranks to foreigners, negotiate peace treaties or declare war without the Sejm's approval; not to take a wife without the Senate's approval; to convince his brothers to take an oath to the Empire; and to transfer the profits from the Royal Mint to the Royal Treasury rather than to a private treasury. King of Poland When the election result had been announced by the Crown Grand Marshal, Łukasz A. Opaliński, the nobility (szlachta), who had taken part in the election, began festivities in honor of the new king, which lasted three hours. James Casimir was crowned in the Wawel Cathedral, in Kraków on 14 March in the following year. .]] His popularity in Poland was less popular than his predecessor and his brother John Joseph but he gain and was loyal to subjects. From April to June 1869, James Casimir was signed a law in the 1815 constitution with freedom for the polish people. Although a staunch conservative, James Casimir did not seek to be a despot, and so he toned down the reactionary policies pursued by his father and his brother, easing press censorship and promising to enact a constitution at some point, but he refused to create an elected legislative assembly, preferring to work with the nobility through "united committees" of the provincial estates. Despite being a devout Lutheran, his Romantic leanings led him to settle the Cologne church conflict by releasing the imprisoned Casimir of Lodz, the Archbishop of Cologne. He also patronized further construction of Cologne Cathedral, Cologne having become part of Prussia in 1815. In 1844, he attended the celebrations marking the completion of the cathedral, becoming the first king of Prussia to enter a Roman Catholic building. When he finally called a national assembly in 1847, it was not a representative body, but rather a United Diet comprising all the provincial estates, which had the right to levy taxes and take out loans, but no right to meet at regular intervals. In 1870, James Casimir tried to re-conqueror the lands of Livonia (now hands of Alexandra II as Governor), but failed. Franco-Prussian War Emperor Napoleon III had plans to invaded Prussia. The causes of the Franco-Prussian War are mostly due to France being scared of a Protestant country on their border. France had helped Prussia beat Austria in the Austro-Prussian War (1866), but would not let the North German Confederation and South German states unify. In 1869, the throne of Spain was offered to a prince of the Catholic branch of the Prussian Hohenzollern royal family. France found out about the offer, and demanded that Prussia reject it, since France did not want to be surrounded by Hohenzollerns. The prince said no, but the French wanted Prussia to say no also. The Prussian King Wilhelm I sent the Ems telegram assuring the French Emperor, Napoleon III, that the prince would not become king of Spain. Otto von Bismarck, the Chancellor of Prussia, publicly released a version that he edited or doctored to make it seem that his king had insulted the emperor's ambassador. This was part of his plan to unify the German states. The two sides exchanged angry words, France declared war, and on July 19 1870 the war started. Prussia was fully supported by the South German states. Napoleon III was finally abdicated on 8 November 1870 and was impressed after the Napoleon III comfortable captivity in a castle at Wilhelmshöhe, near Kassel. Mars-la-Tour On 16 August 1870, the fighting started around Mars-la-Tour. This was a "soldier's battle", where the individual unit commanders and the fighting spirit of the troops on both sides would be the key to victory. Desperate street fighting ensued in the town, with heavy losses for both sides. Prussian infantry tried to overrun the French positions, but the French held them off. The Prussians were outnumbered four to one, but Bazaine never recognized this fact. He failed to send in his full force, while the Prussians committed every man and gun to the fight. With the invaluable advantage of immense self-confidence, the Prussians held on. Illness and death As the war between French and the Prussian come to end, Poland was ending the war at the closing to Prussian victory. James II Casimir returned to Poland, but while he was travel, he fall serious ill and catching the cold. Upon arriving at Warsaw, the king was seriously ill with infections were badly. On 2 February 1871, he was suffered serious malaria, of course he had battle in Mars-la-Tour. His son, Charles Frederick was become regent due the king's health decline suddenly. James II Casimir died on 5 July 1871, at which point the regent acceded to the throne as Charles I of Poland. Ancestry See also Notes References External links